UNDERSTANDING UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ E-LEARNING ADOPTION IN THE MIDDLE EAST: AN APPLICATION OF THE UTAUT MODEL

In many developing contexts, including the Middle East, the adoption of e-learning remains limited compared to developed countries. This study explores the factors influencing students' behavioral intentions to use e-learning systems at two American universities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework. A total of 463 student responses were collected and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to evaluate the impact of four core constructs: Performance Expectancy (PE), Effort Expectancy (EE), Social Influence (SI), and Facilitating Conditions (FC). The results indicate that PE and FC significantly and positively affect Behavioral Intention (BI) (p < 0.001), suggesting that perceived academic benefits and available technical support are critical drivers of adoption. In contrast, EE (p = 0.055) and SI (p = 0.529) did not show significant effects, pointing to challenges in user interface design and limited peer influence. The model explained 82.6% of the variance in BI (R² = 0.826), demonstrating strong predictive power. These findings highlight the need for institutions to prioritize infrastructure, usability, and communication of e-learning benefits. The study also underscores the value of contextualized digital readiness strategies, particularly in regions with infrastructural and language diversity.